Dinner Reservations dilemma?

Question

I sent an evite invitation out yesterday for my birthday celebration dinner. I called to make reservations today. The restaurant does not have an opening at that night and time. 9/12 at 7 pm. I settled for 6 pm and made a reservation. They require 10 people at minimum. I invited more than that. But,I don't know how many are actually coming so far.

My questions are:

1. Should I send a corrected evite invitation with the new time, 6 pm?

2. Should I change it to the next night, Saturday with the same or later time and send the corrected evite invitation out?

3. Should I cancel the reservation and wait 30 minutes for a table?

4. Should I change the restaurant and send out the corrected evite invitation?

I wanted it on a weekend night, because people have to get up early for work the next day. I wanted the place to be in an city near where most people live and work and wouldn't have to drive far. This is the first time, I wasn't able to get a reservation at the scheduled time. Please help.

Answer 1

You don't know how many are coming, yet you expect a table in a popular restaurant?  I have a bad feeling about this.  My advice is to call and find who is coming and who is not.

Answer 2

First, an early Happy Birthday to you.  Hope you have a great time.

You still have quite a bit of time to plan.  It would be more practical and fair to all involved if you get a good idea how many guests would come before you try to make a reservation.  Instead of naming a specific restaurant in your evite invitation, it may be a good idea to name the type of cuisine and the general area where the party will be -- to give your guests enough information to make a decision.

Of the four choices you listed, #3 seems to make the least sense.  You and your guests should be enjoying yourselves and not be waiting for a table that may or may not be available in time.  #1 makes sense if you really want this restaurant, but 6 pm on a Friday night may be too early for some of your guests if they work.  #4 makes sense if you have another restaurant you like (almost) as much as this restaurant AND you know you can get a reservation for sure.

IMO, #2 makes the most sense.  You get your first restaurant choice, and people often are more available on a Saturday night than a Friday night.

Answer 3

If you invited more than 10 people, then I'd just leave the invitation as is. You can go and show up at six and tell them that your guests will be arriving within the hour, and if you don't mind waiting then just wait =P